Ruddock insisted on giving caution statement, court hears

Murder accused Andre Ruddock insisted on giving a caution statement and repeatedly declined the services of duty counsel, the Pathways murder trial heard yesterday.

One of the two justices of the peace (JPs) who witnessed the statement told the court that when Ruddock was advised about securing the services of a legal aid attorney, he refused, saying he wanted to give the statement because he had done something wrong and needed to “get it off his chest”.

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The JP, a telecommunications engineer, testified in the Home Circuit Court that he and another JP were allowed to speak privately with Ruddock at the Montego Hill Police Station in St James in October 2018, before he gave a caution statement and participated in a question-and-answer session.